Your thoughts: Dog tried to bite me--should we euthanize?
3 months ago
9 Comments
Here's the story: We have a dog who, on occasion, has snapped at our toddler. We have been working to make our little boy understand how to be kind to animals. Tonight, the dog got out of our yard for the first time ever, because the wind blew a section of fence down. I had to chase him through several neighbors' yards and, when I caught him and picked him up to carry him home, he repeatedly tried to bite me. The only reason he did not break the skin is that I was wearing long sleeves. My husband insists that we must put the dog to sleep, as a safety precaution for our son. I'm not sure. What do you think?
Tags: bite, dog, euthanize, relationships, society
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Topic Details
This topic was started by apchick on June 4th, 2008. 25 grupies have voted on one or more of the 6 answers.
Tags: bite, dog, euthanize, relationships, society
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apchick: what breed of dog?
Yes. What breed of dog???
(and bite him back)
The part with the child especially would piss me off!
Beagle. He's normally really mellow, so the whole thing took me by surprise. I'm really wanting to keep him, because I love him dearly and feel responsible for his welfare. However, I also recognize that it is also my responsibility to have a safe home and a kind dog.
Unusual behavior for a beagle, I think. Is he getting old? Been sick? You say that on occasion he's snapped at your child. I guess this would bother me the most. I've had dogs that, as they got older, became very defensive of their food, and would sometimes snap at an intruder. Also, I have a dog now that is very old, has bad vision and is almost deaf. This dog will snap occasionally if startled (particularly at food dish).
But all this is speculation. What do you think is going on?
Wish I knew. Our little boy knows full well not to go near the dogs' food dishes, so there's not really an issue of him taking food from the dogs. The beagle is only about six or seven years old, but he has been a little edgy lately--he also snarled at our other dog the other day, which is also out of character. They usually rough house a little, and he freaked out at her. I had to put him back out in the yard for a "time out." Maybe I should rename him Cujo. I just can't figure out why he's so cranky.
Well, if he were mine, I'd take him to the vet and make sure nothing is bothering him (before tasking the more drastic measure). Sometimes pain will cause this kind of personality change.
Good luck. (I like beagles)
"Well, if he were mine, I'd take him to the vet and make sure nothing is bothering him (before tasking the more drastic measure). Sometimes pain will cause this kind of personality change."
And if he is healthy and if you still can't have him round the house, you can still re-home. You don't have to take "the more drastic measure" at all. The dog does not have to die.
Scheduled vet appointment for middle of next week. Nothing new; he's sleeping on the love seat across from me now. So far, I've at least won a "stay put" ruling from my husband. :)
Giving the dog space is probably not the best idea. You need to let the dog know that he doesn't own his food and that you can take it away at any time if you wish. Watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic. I know you have good intentions, but it sounds like you might be doing some bad things.